The Jewish Ethicist: Dependent Donee

Is it ever a mitzvah not to give charity?

Q. I feel that some charity seekers are in a cycle of dependence; they would be really better off if no one helped them. Is this a valid judgment?

A. The ancient rabbis did express concern for possible negative impact of charity giving, but they gave this concern a very low profile. They were always worried that this concern would be exaggerated and serve as an excuse to withhold charity from the truly needy.

The Torah commands us: "And when your brother becomes poor, and his hand fails with you, support him, though he may be a stranger or a sojourner, so that he may live with you" (Leviticus 25:35). The ancient rabbinical commentary, the Torat Kohanim, interprets this verse as follows:

'When your brother becomes poor and his hand fails with you' - don't allow him to fall. This is like a burden on the back of a donkey; as long as it is in place, one person can hold it and steady it. But if it falls to the ground, five people can't raise it up. And where do we learn that even if you have supported him four or five times, that you still have to go back and support him again? It is said, "and support him" [the word "and" is grammatically superfluous, thus implying repeated action]. Could it be even if this leads him into destructive habits? The Torah teaches, "With you".

"Destructive habits" at the very least includes someone who would use the money in a self-destructive way, such as supporting an addiction or a vice. According to Rav Shimshon Hirsch, it also includes someone who is drawn into dependence on charity.

We find similar expressions in some other commentators. For example, the Torah commands us: "Don't see your brother's donkey or his ox collapse on the way, and hide from them; surely lift them up with him" (Deuteronomy 22:4). Rashi explains that the expression "with him" means that you are only obligated to help if the donkey driver exerts himself; your aid is "with him," not by yourself. If the driver sits idly and waits for you to do the job yourself, there is no requirement to help. The Kli Yakar commentary (on the parallel commandment in Exodus 23:5) infers by extension that we are commanded to help a poor person support himself, not support him if he sits idly and waits for others to do his job.

Yet we also find many sources which warn us not to be overly fastidious when it comes to giving tzedaka. The Talmud goes to the extreme of saying, "Let us be grateful to the fakers, for without them we would sin every day." (1) The punishment for failing to help a genuinely poor person is very great, yet people commonly fall short in this obligation. "Fortunately", we have a certain defense; we can always point out that some charity seekers are fakers, and that we didn't give more so that we wouldn't encourage the frauds. The message seems to be that we shouldn't allow a few charlatans to discourage us from helping someone who seems truly needy.

A Midrash describes a householder who berates a beggar, "Look at his legs! Look at his belly!" In other words, see how he is able-bodied and well-fed, and not needy at all. The Midrash warns that God rebukes the householder: "Not only did you not give him anything, but that which I gave him, you begrudge him!" (2)

The overall message we obtain is as follows: It's true that if we have a firm basis for believing that giving someone charity will work to his detriment, particularly by confirming him in self-destructive behavior, we should refrain from giving. But it is forbidden to adopt a general attitude of excessive suspicion and skepticism towards the needy. We should recognize that giving charity is a special privilege that we attain only through the good offices of the poor, and display an appropriate demeanor of helpfulness and gratitude towards any person who provides convincing evidence of being in need.

The Jewish Ethicist presents some general principles of Jewish law. For specific questions and direct application, please consult a qualified Rabbi.

The Jewish Ethicist is a joint project of Aish.com and the Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem. To find out more about business ethics and Jewish values for the workplace, visit the JCT Center for Business Ethics website at www.besr.org.

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About the Author

Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir is Research Director at the Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem (www.besr.org). He studied at Harvard, received a PhD in Economics from MIT, and rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate. Prior to moving to Israel, he worked at the Council of Economic Advisers in the Reagan administration. Rabbi Dr. Meir is also a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Jerusalem College of Technology and has published several articles on business, economics and Jewish law. He is the author of the two-volume, "Meaning in Mitzvot (Feldheim), and his Aish.com columns form the basis of the "Jewish Ethicist" book (ktav.com).

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 4

(4)
Merav,
August 27, 2004 12:00 AM

food coupon program

When I lived in in San Francisco, there was an unique program in the downtown area to help the needy, were they sold coupons that were redeemable for food in several fast food places. People could give the homeless food coupons in place of cash. This way the person giving tzedaka was sure it went for food and not drugs or alcohol. It also enabled the person receiving the food coupons to have more control over their lives, and to save the coupons for later and not be forced to eat everything at once as in the case of receiving food.

(3)
Anonymous,
August 23, 2004 12:00 AM

Do not humiliate the one in need.

One cannot always tell from a person's appearance his or her ability to work or function. Not all physical ailments are evident, and not all mental and emotional difficulties are evident, but may prevent a person from functioning. One must anticipate people's needs, and not wait to be asked. For some people it is so humiliating and agonizing to ask for help that they may allow themselves to fall too far or even die before asking for help. Others may turn their pain and humiliation outward and turn to theft rather than having to ask for help, which they may feel may be begrudged or not forthcoming. Remember Maimonides' different levels of charity. The higher the level of giving, the least pain and shame are caused to the person being helped. We must be grateful to be allowed to help, because doing this is a great mitzvah, and allows us to become tolerant and understanding of others and better people by helping others.

(2)
raye,
August 22, 2004 12:00 AM

How do we choose from numerous requests for aid

Daily I am beleagued with numerous requests for donations. And daily it pains me that, as one individual, I do not have the means to contribute to all. It makes me feel that I am letting down people in need.

(1)
Anonymous,
August 22, 2004 12:00 AM

By, is this timely!

I was raised to give to whomever asked by my mother's (may she rest in peace)action of always doing so. My husband,on the other hand, insisits that it encourages people to use money fr drugs etc. Yesterday, in front of ur five year ld he turned down a begger- I reminded him of these Teachings, and he asked the man if he wanted food. He did, and we bought him a sandwich. My husband says this only works when we are near a place where we can buy food. So what do we do in these instances? I don't wish to disrespect my husband in front of our daughter, but this is very important to me, as it is one of the ways I feel I can honor my mother and pass down her "legacy". Would you be kind enough to give me your thughts?
Thank you,
Wendy Widlus

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I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!